readings on the late Ong Teng Cheong

when i was a primary school kid in 1993, Mr Ong Teng Cheong was appointed as the first elected President of Singapore.

scant memories of him taking the vows; the media coverage are still in my mind. Very likely, you will remember that he was a strong advocate for the rail system (MRT), a politician who did not waver in strong 'party' pressure during his Presidential term.

he was a excellent husband, father, career architect and politician - there were only glowing testimonials for him.

for years i occasionally thought - how i would improve myself, such that i can balance both work and family life in future. I'm still thinking about this.


someone in HWZ Forums published his eulogy to his late wife - it was a touching read.

When I first met her at a party, she was only 15. She was an attractive and lively girl. It was not long before I discovered that she was a thrifty and highly- principled girl as well. We began dating each other. Often, we would meet in coffee shops. Whenever we had lunch, she would insist on paying for her own lunch. Her argument was that her father gave her pocket money that was for her use only, and that my father gave me pocket money that was for my use. So we should pay for our own lunches. At first, I tried to persuade her otherwise, but after two lunches, during which she stood her ground, I realised that it was futile to argue any further, and we subsequently just went Dutch every time we met for lunch.

...

Today, I wish to quote one of our favourite quotations from Su Dong Bo (苏东坡).
He said that to part is inevitable: 人有悲欢离合, 月有阴晴圆缺, 此事古难全。

But in the simple yet poignant words of Bai Ju Yi (白居易), the loss is an eternal pain: 天长地久有时尽, 此恨绵绵无绝期。

We took pride that we had led a clean and honest life and had taken our marriage vows seriously — we had been husband and wife, for better or for worse, till death did us part.

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Read more about him in politics, in Asiaweek (March 2000).